Belu totes being “the most ethical bottled mineral water available.” With partnerships with WaterAid– that gives access to safe water to Impoverished communities and, Rawlings- that pioneers UK’s lightest glass bottles, Belu is certainly living up to the standards they have set.
Water for All
Imagine if there was safe drinking water and access to sanitation for people from the poorest communities around the world? Well, that is exactly what Belu has set out to do with their partnership with WaterAid. WaterAid has already successfully given 21 million people safe water since 1981, proving their trust and ability to reach the masses. Belu, a not-for-profit Ltd. earns its revenue by solely sustainably trading their water to brands in the UK like Jamie’s Italian, Sainsbury’s and Café Rouge. They accomplish this impressive feat by not accepting donations or grants. Belu does not believe in exporting, due to unnecessary transportation miles! Thus Belu’s exclusive charity partnership with WaterAid is a mutually beneficial as 100% of their revenue is given to WaterAid. In turn, this partnership allows Belu to fund clean water projects around the world.
Minimizing their Carbon Footprint one step at a time
Belu’s economic model is 100% carbon neutral. This means Belu takes full responsibility of the carbon footprint for their entire supply and production. You may wonder, “How do they do that?” Belu measures, reduces and reports their level of carbon neutrality to reach PAS260. “Reaching PAS260” mean you reduce you emissions before you’re able to minimize your carbon footprint. Consequently business decisions are made on the basis of high carbon emissions as a costly deterrent. For example, all Belu bottles are made from all recyclable content of various percentages: plastic bottles are 50%, reducing the reliance on fossil fuels, green glass is 80% and clear glass from 30% Ethical glass. The Belu’s Ethical glass campaign was initiated with the Bristol’s glass packaging specialist Rawlings. Through this initiative, they have created the lightest clear glass bottles in the EU. On top of eco-friendly packaging, the water is all natural mineral water bottled at Belu’s source in Powys, UK. The water even comes in still or sparkling! As an added bonus, Ethical Glass helps Belu’s profit donations to WaterAid.
A Cause Worth Drinking For
Currently Belu is working on a carbon reduction project based in southern India in a run-of-river hydropower plant. The project has no negative environmental impact, generates 13 gigawatts of clean electricity annually, and is linked to an association called the Bal Roshni project of Karnataka State Council for Child Welfare. This project also supports the education to poor and disabled children in special schools. Back on the home front, Belu would like to add more diversity to their partnerships. For example if Belu partnered with hotels and restaurants the same rules apply: no money can be spent on marketing that could detract from profits spent towards WaterAid. Belu hopes to raise £1 million for Water Aid a year by 2020 and by 2030 they want to insure everyone in the world will have access to safe water. Not surprisingly, with so many diverse projects underway, Belu wants to get their story heard. Their goal is not just to inform, but build a network for future collaborations with other businesses or individuals. They believe that more can be achieved by working together. Belu proves lessening your carbon footprint and making a difference is manageable. In fact if you need a model, just look towards Belu.
Belu has now generated more than £1.5 million for WaterAid, £503,000 of that in 2015.
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